It is called “Mars Dune Alpha” and is a 1,700-square-foot building made with 3D printing at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It has bedrooms, bathrooms, a work area, a robot station, a gym, and a vertical farm, among other things. It is next to a 1,200-square-foot area that is used to simulate events that would happen outside of vehicles on Mars. The setup includes red, rocky cliffs and simulated Martian dirt to make the experience more real.
The main reason for this long-term engagement was to collect information on the physical and mental effects of a Mars-like environment, such as being alone, having limited resources, and having to wait for messages to arrive. These new ideas are very important for getting astronauts ready for the mental and physical difficulties of longer-term space missions in the future. Crew members did a wide range of jobs, from simulating spacewalks to growing vegetables. They gave NASA useful information about how to keep people healthy in confined and remote environments.